ooh now it's alternative

side blog · she + they

[changedotmp3]

just came across what could be my favorite jstor article ever

[dailytomlinson]

louistomlinsonhq: No Control

[dreamings-free]

Louis on stage in Amsterdam 20/4/26

[changedotmp3]

album is growing on me icl

[ialwaysknewyouwerepunk]

american girls - a close reading

Right at home With perfect timing A face that knows Her perfect lighting 'Cause time will show That you should try it Those American girls you spend your life with

you'll feel "right at home", the timing couldn't be more perfect - imagine hearing other ppl saying this to him

the theme of timing, lost time, a life that's passing by

"a face that knows her perfect lighting" - placing this song after aperture, which is a reference to photography

she is beautiful but also extremely self-aware and superficial - actress, model? someone used to being in the limelight?

"time will show that you should try it, those american girls" - one of those lines that i can only hear in a closeting sense, esp in relation to the sense of lost time, and what harry has said about the song. the desire to have a lasting relationship, to build a family. well maybe time will run out so much that you run out of options. and you go for an american girl

a non-closeting reading can be about settling, still. settling for something that doesn't feel genuine or real but it sure looks perfect and it sure is easy // the waiting game

I've known you for ages, it's all that I've heard My friends are in love with American girls I've seen it in stages all over the world My friends are in love with American girls

who is "you"? it's all that i've heard "you" say?

stages -> the american girls being on stages?

"in stages" - instead of "on" stages, in different variations.

Her sweet eyes Your temptations Don't deny Her frustrations Just spend your life With those American girls

"her" vs "your"

tempted by someone else which frustrates her (valid)

"don't deny" feels like it should be followed by something like "your own desires" but then we're given a twist. "just" spend your life. like it's no big deal or anything. sham marriage narrative holds up

I've known you for ages, it's all that I've heard My friends are in love with American girls I've seen it in stages all over the world My friends are in love with American girls

if i follow through with the closeting line of thinking: "my friends" as in closeted gay men having beards (that are often american girls)

the american girl, or she/her in the song is only ever described in a physical sense - "a face that knows her perfect lighting" or "her sweet eyes" or "american" or "girl". distance, stranger, superficial. disconnected from any actual sense that there could be an attraction

the song is definitely in a pair with the waiting game to me. this story of a kind of wistful search for a real relationship, something substantial where there is more to the story than a nationality and a gender.

"i've known you for ages" sounds really bittersweet in this context, bc who is "you"? the friends who keep saying he should get with an american girl? or are the friends saying "i've known you for ages and all i've ever heard is you dating american girls" or "i've known you for ages and you never seem to be in a long-term, loving relationship with anyone" or "i've known you for ages, why won't you settle down with anyone? i can see you have more than enough options"

and a key note is that "my friends are in love with american girls" is repeated, but he has put himself, or "i", out of that situation. it's almost more of a tired observation. just another one of those things ppl have been saying he should be doing with his life

[ialwaysknewyouwerepunk]

american girls - a close reading

Right at home With perfect timing A face that knows Her perfect lighting 'Cause time will show That you should try it Those American girls you spend your life with

you'll feel "right at home", the timing couldn't be more perfect - imagine hearing other ppl saying this to him

the theme of timing, lost time, a life that's passing by

"a face that knows her perfect lighting" - placing this song after aperture, which is a reference to photography

she is beautiful but also extremely self-aware and superficial - actress, model? someone used to being in the limelight?

"time will show that you should try it, those american girls" - one of those lines that i can only hear in a closeting sense, esp in relation to the sense of lost time, and what harry has said about the song. the desire to have a lasting relationship, to build a family. well maybe time will run out so much that you run out of options. and you go for an american girl

a non-closeting reading can be about settling, still. settling for something that doesn't feel genuine or real but it sure looks perfect and it sure is easy // the waiting game

I've known you for ages, it's all that I've heard My friends are in love with American girls I've seen it in stages all over the world My friends are in love with American girls

who is "you"? it's all that i've heard "you" say?

stages -> the american girls being on stages?

"in stages" - instead of "on" stages, in different variations.

Her sweet eyes Your temptations Don't deny Her frustrations Just spend your life With those American girls

"her" vs "your"

tempted by someone else which frustrates her (valid)

"don't deny" feels like it should be followed by something like "your own desires" but then we're given a twist. "just" spend your life. like it's no big deal or anything. sham marriage narrative holds up

I've known you for ages, it's all that I've heard My friends are in love with American girls I've seen it in stages all over the world My friends are in love with American girls

if i follow through with the closeting line of thinking: "my friends" as in closeted gay men having beards (that are often american girls)

the american girl, or she/her in the song is only ever described in a physical sense - "a face that knows her perfect lighting" or "her sweet eyes" or "american" or "girl". distance, stranger, superficial. disconnected from any actual sense that there could be an attraction

the song is definitely in a pair with the waiting game to me. this story of a kind of wistful search for a real relationship, something substantial where there is more to the story than a nationality and a gender.

"i've known you for ages" sounds really bittersweet in this context, bc who is "you"? the friends who keep saying he should get with an american girl? or are the friends saying "i've known you for ages and all i've ever heard is you dating american girls" or "i've known you for ages and you never seem to be in a long-term, loving relationship with anyone" or "i've known you for ages, why won't you settle down with anyone? i can see you have more than enough options"

and a key note is that "my friends are in love with american girls" is repeated, but he has put himself, or "i", out of that situation. it's almost more of a tired observation. just another one of those things ppl have been saying he should be doing with his life

[pop-punklouis]

"The record is a charmingly strange step-up from Styles’ past catalog, unlike anything he’s dabbled in before: finding solace in experimental electronica, unconventional lyrical structures, and the flittering cerebral crisis of imposter syndrome. Yet, it still somehow feels quintessentially Harry Styles just with a heavy, consistent bass thrumming throughout.  With tones reminiscent of avant-garde ’80s New Wave artists like Duran Duran or Adam and the Ants merged with hungry, soulful ’90s house music, Styles takes the listener through a non-linear sonic experience, escaping the musical bubble the industry, the adoring public, and even he himself had unknowingly built around him all these years. Underneath is a twelve-song current of restless inner dialogue flickering between the off-balanced journey of observing others and being the one observed. What emerges on Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally is an experience of sound less occupied with radio success and more occupied with purely making tunes Styles enjoys—and having a helluva interesting time doing it.   Collectively, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally is an album that succeeds in its creative leap. Does it have its faults? Of course. Styles’ voice gets lost within the shuffle of some of the record’s production, there are moments where he struggles to have identity outside of the thrumming bass, and the troubled positioning of the tracklist makes the full listening experience feel disjointed. Yet it’s the most mature progression he could’ve made as an artist, taking as much of an experimental risk as a pop star can afford nowadays and mostly sticking the landing while doing it.  It’s a record that one will immediately love or immediately hate on first listen, but it’s a clear reinvention of what music and persona Styles wants to put forward after a period of ego death and existentialism—a modern, underground shift that simply documents his life as a normal person and promises nothing else. And while everyone will bicker over lyrics or discuss its highs and lows, Harry Styles, for once, won’t care because he’s finally cut the puppet strings from his back—free from expectation, free from surveillance. Instead, we’re hearing the first unapologetically authentic project from Harry Styles in a long time. And whether you like it or not, that’s ultimately Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’s true, unwavering power."

The review is out for The Alternative! This is just a snippet. Go give it a read as I dive into the specifics of the tracklist and what it means for who Harry Styles is and is stepping into as an artist in 2026.

[changedotmp3]

sanity? is kinda fun? some of the instrumentation in jump the gun stood out but not much....he sounds sooo nice on the chorus of lucid icl. i guess the second half of tthe album marginally better than the irst and i didnt listen all the way through at first 😞 otherwise imposter and palaces are the only ones i kinda like......

[changedotmp3]

went to go listen to lt3 to see if i still disliked it as much as i had. answer is yes But the like. Ooh in sunflowers sounds Exactly like the way hayley kiyoko does in one bad night? big day for artists i beat to death in middle school !!!

[changedotmp3]

maybe it's because. well all my friends Are in love with american girls meanwhile i haven't been able to muster up a crush in yearsss but that ones hitting. plus not to beat a dead horse but its prob the song with the least restrained vocals !!

[changedotmp3]

the songs where he like. actually sings are the strongest imo! carla's song, american girls, coming up roses, aperture to an extent and maybe pop?...and tbh i really like are u listening yet it reminds me of something i can't put my finger on...i just can't deal with the bedroom whisper singing ! that's for singers who can't sing and he cannnnnn. otherwise sonically i really like this album and i think the writing is decently strong....ups and downs for sure but tbh if he had just. sung instead of whispermoaned i think id enjoy a lot of the songs more 😭

[changedotmp3]

honesty hour i think this would have been fun as a solely music no vocals album :)

[niallisheaven]

[changedotmp3]

niall writing a song about a dinner party well this has come to me at a very relevant time in my life

[palacesofmymind]

louis tomlinson - too sweet (by hozier) cover for live lounge 🎺🍭

[dailytomlinson]

Louis photographed for his new album 'How Did I Get Here?' by Edward Cooke

[sunshineandlyrics]

🌈 The Aces will support Louis on his North American leg of the HDWGHW tour, posted this review of 🏳️‍🌈 lyrics on their tiktok and IG, 20 October 2025 x x